A High Wind Warning was issued for the coastal headland of Oregon zones ORZ021/022 at 0905 PST on 12/28 and expired at 2355 PST on 12/28. The above observations verified the warning.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS MFR wrote it up.
A High Wind Warning was issued for the coastal headland of Oregon zones ORZ021/022 at 0905 PST on 12/28 and expired at 2355 PST on 12/28. The above observations verified the warning. The Cape Arago observation, though sent at 0000 PST, was likely recorded a bit earlier, within the warning window.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Medford, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 28, 9:30 AM PST, 4 hours 30 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD, OR
930 AM PST SUN DEC 28 2003
.DISCUSSION...
THE COLD CLOUD SHIELD OF THE APPROACHING STORM AS SEEN ON
THE IR SATELLITE LOOP HAS MOVED TO THE COAST. THE COLDEST TOPS
LAG FAR BEHIND BUT A STRONG 250MB JET WILL BRING THE ASSOCIATED
PRECIPITATION TO OUR AREA IN THE AFTERNOON. THE MESO ETA AND GFS ARE
IN REASONABLE AGREEMENT ON TIMING AND LOCATION OF THE
SYSTEM...BRINGING THE SURFACE LOW INLAND NEAR GOLD BEACH LATE
TONIGHT. HAVE HIGH WIND WARNING UP FOR THE COASTAL HEADLANDS FOR
THIS EVENING SOUTH OF BROOKINGS AS THE LOW APPROACHES. BOTH MODELS
GENERATE OVER AN INCH OF PRECIPITATION SUNDAY NIGHT WITH STRONG
OVERRUNNING INTO A POOL OF COLD AIR. SNOW LEVELS SHOULD REMAIN
AROUND 2000 FEET TONIGHT AND WITH COLD AIR TRAPPED IN SOME WEST SIDE
VALLEYS COULD SEE RAIN/SNOW MIX FOR A TIME LATE THIS EVENING INTO
EARLY MONDAY MORNING TO JUST BELOW 1500 FEET. A WINTER STORM WARNING
IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF OUR FORECAST AREA EXCLUDING THE COAST AND
PART OF THE UMPQUA BASIN. THE HEAVIEST SNOW WILL OCCUR SUNDAY NIGHT
AND TAPER OFF MONDAY MORNING. LOW ELEVATION SNOWS COULD OCCUR AS LOW
AS 1500 FEET.
RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS BY LATTER HALF MONDAY AFTERNOON AS SYSTEM
MOVES SOUTH. MONDAY NIGHT SKIES WILL BEGIN TO CLEAR WITH PATCHY FOG.
TUESDAY COULD BE A NICE BUT COLD DAY. TUESDAY NIGHT BEFORE THE RIDGE
COMPLETELY EXITS AREAS OF FOG LOCALLY DENSE WILL FORM IN WESTERN
VALLEYS.
&&
.MFR...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FLORENCE TO OR/CA BORDER.
WINTER STORM WARNING ORZ024>031 ABOVE 2000 FT SUNDAY
NIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING.
HIGH WIND WARNING ORZ22 COASTAL HEADLANDS.
CA...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY OR/CA BORDER TO PT ST GEORGE.
WINTER STORM WARNING SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING
CAZ080>085 ABOVE 2000 FT.
&&
MWHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 630 AM PST SUN DEC 28 2003 CAZ080>085-ORZ024>031-281430- CENTRAL AND EASTERN LAKE COUNTY-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MODOC COUNTY- CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY-EASTERN CURRY COUNTY AND JOSEPHINE COUNTY- EASTERN DOUGLAS COUNTY FOOTHILLS-JACKSON COUNTY-KLAMATH BASIN- NORTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST SISKIYOU COUNTY- NORTHEAST KLAMATH COUNTY AND WESTERN LAKE COUNTY- NORTHEAST SISKIYOU COUNTY AND NORTHWEST MODOC COUNTY- SISKIYOU MOUNTAINS AND SOUTH OREGON CASCADES- SOUTH CENTRAL OREGON CASCADES-SOUTH CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY- WESTERN SISKIYOU COUNTY- 630 AM PST SUN DEC 28 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA .DAY ONE...TODAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY WINTER STORM WARNING SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING ABOVE 2000 FEET. SEE PDXWSWMFR FOR DETAILS. ORZ021>023-281430- CENTRAL DOUGLAS COUNTY-CURRY COUNTY COAST-SOUTH CENTRAL OREGON COAST- 630 AM PST SUN DEC 28 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA .DAY ONE...TODAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. HESS
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OREGON
1247 PM PST SUN DEC 28 2003
TIME(PST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0800 AM PORT ORFORD OR
12/28/03 CURRY COOP OBSERVER 5 MILES EAST
ON THE ELK RIVER REPORTED
1.64 INCHES RAIN PAST 24
HRS ENDING AT 8AM.
0900 AM BROOKINGS OR
12/28/03 CURRY COOP OBSERVER 1 MILES
NORTH REPORTED 1.63 INCHES
RAIN PAST 24 HOURS ENDING
AT 9AM.
0900 AM SIXES OR
12/28/03 CURRY SPOTTER CU07 REPORTED 1.70
INCHES RAIN PAST 24 HOURS
ENDING AT 9AM.
1000 AM CRESCENT OR HEAVY SNOW
12/28/03 KLAMATH SPOTTER KL97 REPORTED 1
INCH SNOW YESTERDAY AND 2
INCHES SNOW OVERNIGHT THRU
1000 AM TODAY.The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Cape Blanco exceeded sustained High Wind Warning criteria continuously during this interval.
Gold Beach recorded a 71 mph gust.
Cape Blanco recorded this gust of 87 mph, the highest gust so far this season in the Medford CWA.
Gold Beach recorded sustained winds meeting High Wind Warning criteria during this time interval. The highest recorded sustained wind was 45 mph.
Cape Arago recorded at 62 mph gust at this time, along with a sustained wind of 40 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, December 2003
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5331842, 5331934, 5331843, 5331844, 5331935.